Should women be allowed to become pastors? Is it biblical for them to assume leadership roles within the church? Questions like these are at the heart of the Christian gender debate, which is the debate regarding the equality of men and women in accordance with God’s word. The Talbot School of Theology’s long-standing complementarian-oriented stance has caused strife between Biola’s faculty and has been interpreted as being discouraging towards women pursuing leadership roles in ministry. With Ed Stetzer being appointed recently as Dean of Talbot in 2023, it may be time to reevaluate or even alter this stance with consideration to how it’s impacting female Talbot students.
The gender debate resides primarily in two lines of thought: egalitarian and complementarian. Egalitarian refers to the belief that men and women are equal in standing before God as well as the roles they want to pursue on earth, meaning that each has equal opportunity in the pursuit of leadership roles. Complementarianism holds that while men and women are equal in standing before God, only men are called to Christlike headship in the church and therefore women should not pursue the role of a senior pastor.
While Biola takes no stance on this gender debate, Talbot does take a firm stance. Talbot’s statement on men and women on their website says: “Talbot [also] affirms the unique ways each gender realizes its submission and deference for the sake of the other. In the New Covenant, both women and men are called to build up the body of Christ through the fruit and gifts of the Spirit. Talbot believes that Scripture teaches that God has called men to Christlike headship in the family and oversight as elders in the church.”
While Talbot’s statement itself does not identify itself as “complementarian,” it uses complementarian language in the sense that while both genders are called to “submission,” only men are called to headship in the Church and home. In this sense, Talbot does not consider headship in the church and home to be theologically sound for women.
While Talbot admits women to graduate programs, they have retained a stronghold on their statement that women are not called to leadership. It was not until 1975 that the first woman, Dr. Ann L. Bowman, was permitted to even study in Talbot’s Master of Divinity and Master of Theology program, and not until Spring 2024 that the first woman, Dr. Carmen J. Imes, taught a Bible and theology graduate course at Talbot.
BACKGROUND OF EGALITARIAN VS. COMPLEMENTARIAN
Ron Pierce, a recently retired biblical studies and theology professor from Talbot, as well as the school’s former resident egalitarian, defines complementarian as “an unfortunate term that arose in 1988 officially.” According to Pierce, the creation of this term coincided with the founding of the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and Christians for Biblical Equality.
“Until then, [complementarianism] was just simply called a male leadership position, traditionalism, or evangelical patriarchy,” said Pierce. “It softened the language of patriarchy that just sounded domineering and old fashioned, and [made] women less valuable. The big change [after 1988] was that men and women were completely equal in their standing before God. But there’s no equality with regard to roles in the home or in the church.”
The primary divide is between egalitarian and complementarian. Supporters of the egalitarian view believe that men and women are equal in their standing before God, as well as equal in the home and church. This also means equal opportunity in pursuing leadership roles within the church.
However, Joanne Jung, a biblical and theological studies professor at Biola, believes that the meaning of the terms can become lost and muddled over time.
“In the past, it has been far too easy to load these words [complementarian and egalitarian] with emotions and experiences that keep the true meaning of words from being discussed openly and in a non-defensive posture,” said Jung.
One of the primary sources of the gender debate stems from 1 Timothy 2:13, in which Paul addresses the church of Ephesus and states that women should not speak in the church. There is a long-standing debate about whether Paul meant his words to be taken in a universal context or a cultural context. Jung cites that the complementarian view is a drastic change from the authoritative rule men had in households during this time period.
“Steeped in Roman culture, as heads of households, men ruled with absolute power and authority. Little consideration was given beyond his own wants and desires as the head of the family,” said Jung. “In this context, Paul reveals Jesus’ radical view of the church and family.”
In Jung’s words, the complementarian stance is not about authoritative love, but rather, sacrificial love.
“Leadership is not about dominance or power as the world would acquire it (Mark 10:42-45) but is exercised through sacrifice. God’s design for His church was to be a family, and its relationships are to reflect those of His family. Spirit-led relationships prevent the threat of hypocrisy and duplicity,” said Jung.
Victoria Nieves, a senior bible theology major and Torrey Honors student, also believes that the definition of complementarianism has been both confusing and interpreted differently over time.
“Complementarianism at its core is about men and women having different faculties, not necessarily meaning that women cannot be leaders,” Nieves said. “A quick Google search provides the definition of this view is ‘that men and women have different but complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage, family, and religious leadership.’ The problem with this definition is that different denominations and people interpret it and put it into practice in their lives very differently.”
Though Talbot’s wording in their statement has changed over time, they have remained unapproachable in regard to either an egalitarian stance or no stance at all (which is where the rest of Biola’s schools currently stand). Talbot’s firmness has not been exempt from strife and tension amongst faculty members.
“Talbot used the term in the late 1990’s, and I think it was ’99 that they added a lot of complementarity language in their catalog statement,” said Pierce. “When Clint Arnold was becoming Dean of Talbot, Barry Corey called a faculty meeting with all the faculty across campus. Part of the announcement that was made that day is that Biola does not take a position on this gender debate, and that applies to all of our schools, which would have included Talbot.”
However, shortly after the meeting, Talbot reported back to Corey and informed him that they would not cooperate with this.
“I thought it was unfortunate,” said Pierce. “Because it splits the campus in a way that I think is not helpful.”
THE IMPACT ON FEMALE TALBOT STUDENTS
Beyond faculty concerns, there is a trickle-down effect to how this stance is impacting female students at the undergraduate level.
One particular concern has been that of Title IX, Biola’s Sexual Misconduct Policy. Via this policy, Biola states that “Biola should be a place for spiritual growth, worth, and study, free of all forms of prohibited discrimination and harassment, including sexual misconduct.”
While Biola complies with Title IX regulations, they do have the right to “religious exemption” in some areas because of its nature as a Christian institution. The policy states that Biola can apply this religious exemption “in regard to admissions, enrollment, its curricular and co-curricular programs, housing, employment, and other matters.”
The policy itself does not go into detail about how it would specifically apply to women in graduate theological programs (such as women pursuing the Masters of Divinity) in regard to Talbot’s stance on male-only leadership. This gray area has been one of concern in terms of what qualifies as sexual discrimination between Title IX regulations and Biola’s right to religious exemption.
In 2023, Scott Rae, a professor of Christian ethics at Talbot, made a Digital Commons video on this topic. He expressed concern over complaints from female Talbot students saying they had been directly discouraged by faculty from pursuing church leadership positions.
“Individual students should not be discouraged from a particular career path based on their sex,” Rae said in his lecture. “This part of the law applies in all schools at Biola and in all majors/ Unfortunately, there have been reports of female students having their career goals questioned because of their sex. This can potentially be a violation of our sexual misconduct policy.”
Pierce also has concerns about how Title IX should apply to the classroom, even in a religious setting.
“If I say to a woman in my class: ‘Women shouldn’t be senior pastors or elders’, by virtue of my position, I’m implicitly discouraging her from following what she believes is God’s leading in her life, which seems problematic in regard to Title IX,” Pierce said.
Nieves has witnessed these types of remarks stemming from students as well.
“I have encountered students who recommend me to not get a masters saying that an M.Div is for those who wish to be pastors and if I wanted to be a teacher I don’t need that,” said Nieves. “Certainly, they did not know that I don’t plan to be a pastor, but I do plan on striving for the most excellent preparation for wherever the Lord may lead me.”
Pierce relayed that female students have been the victims of discriminatory remarks in regard to their career choices, and have been “shut down” by their complementarian male professors.
“[Women] have wept in my office on many occasions,” said Pierce.
It’s clear that, at Biola, women pursuing careers in ministry and leadership have experienced direct and indirect discouragement. Regardless of whether or not they have witnessed this in the classroom, it has led to intense questioning about what they believe to be God’s calling for their lives.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE WOMEN AT TALBOT?
Currently, the Talbot School of Theology is standing its ground on their complementarian-driven stance. Despite pushback from faculty and a slew of complaints — and even concern about Title IX violations — there has been no budge in the wording of their statement. However, women will continue to feel called to ministry and senior pastor positions, and have the opportunity to further this dream through Biola. So, what does this future look like for them?
It’s clear that Talbot’s stance has facilitated negative comments and interpretations in regard to the role of women in the church. But as more women enter biblical studies and ministry roles, it’s possible that this will spur more fruitful conversation about what it takes to overcome discrimination as a woman in theology.
“By certain conversations in these [Talbot] classes, I have found that some of my fellow male students seem to interpret Talbot’s stance as an opening to put down female colleagues or to think that their voice should overpower mine,” said Nieves. “This is not just a university matter, the issue begins in the context from which each student comes from as well. Therefore, I do not believe that it is Talbot’s intention to say that women are not called to leadership or to cause students to believe so by any means.”
Nieves does believe that this is still a considerably more difficult career path for women to pursue due to stigma and beliefs surrounding male leadership.
“However, it is true that many women enter this major and fewer graduate, and far less continue successfully through grad school because of discouragement in male-dominated spaces and an air of machismo that socially circulates,” Nieves said.
Whether it’s through female connection and empowerment, and direct confrontation with problematic words from Talbot, Pierce hopes that someday Biola can see the elimination of Talbot’s complementarian stance.
“I couldn’t feel stronger about that,” Pierce said. “Not just because I want to see Talbot change in some way, but for two reasons: one, because it discourages women so badly. It doesn’t keep them out, but it discourages them while they’re here. And then the other thing is, I just hate to see Talbot separated from the rest of the university.”
Pierce laments that he wasn’t able to see this change occur during his time at Biola.
“I really hoped it [would happen] when I retired. That was my dream,” said Pierce.
And so, the question remains: does Talbot’s stance not only hurt women pursuing careers in ministry, but also divide Biola in a way that is unnecessary?
CONCLUSION
Biola students can, and should, feel driven toward a more unified future. Whether male or female, difficult yet empowering conversations should begin to emerge amongst the student body and faculty alike. Since Biola offers a place for women to study the Bible and pursue leadership roles, we should aim to make that environment both emotionally safe and accessible to them.
We cannot expect every student and faculty member on campus to hold the same view on the gender debate; many students themselves have not formulated their own stance yet as they are early on in their academic, professional, and spiritual journeys. Rather, we should not limit any female students in the careers they want to pursue. With that, women at Talbot should consider finding safe spaces to hold fruitful conversations about how to reconcile their gender and their career goals in ministry and understand that they are not alone in experiencing discouragement.
“I have heard from some of my female friends (who have come through Biola to serve in ministry) that we can expect to work harder for the same respect and acceptance, earn less for the same work, and to find less opportunities because of our sex and ethnicity/culture,” said Nieves.
While changes can be proactively made on the student level, in order for Biola itself to become more unified in its approach to biblical education, it seems as though Talbot should greatly consider dropping the complementarian language and joining the greater part of the institution so that their teachings can become more appropriately adapted to having a diverse student body.
Though the gender debate is an important issue to Christians, our campus is essentially a melting pot of students from a wide spectrum of Christian backgrounds. Providing education to women pursuing ministry, while not acknowledging them as being as capable as their male counterparts — and therefore discouraging them to share both privilege and responsibility with them — creates a restrictive, unwelcoming environment for Talbot and Biola women.
When asked to provide a comment in regard to this topic, several Talbot faculty members and Talbot students declined comment or did not respond. Talbot’s Dean, Ed Stetzer, said to refer to Talbot’s Mission Statement on their website for more information on their stance, but provided no quote.
